JUROR SERVICES – PERFORMANCE REPORT

CIRCUIT COURT OF LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS

NINETEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COURT OF LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS DIVISION OF JUDICIAL OPERATIONS – JURY COMMISSION: JUROR SERVICES

MISSION STATEMENT:

The mission of the Circuit Court of Lake County is to serve the public. The Court accomplishes this mission by providing a fair and responsive system of justice, committed to excellence, and fostering public trust, understanding and confidence. The Division of Judicial Operations supports the mission of the Court by providing an array of legal-related services and supportive functions to both internal and external Court customers in a manner that advances public trust, understanding and confidence in the legal system. The Division of Judicial Operations assists the judges of Lake County by executing operations involved in the fair and orderly administration of judicial case processing. The supportive functions of the division include the delivery of information, resources, and services to the public designed to improve their access, navigation, and use of the legal system.

PROGRAM PURPOSE:

The Jury Commission is a unit of the Division of Judicial Operations, which serves the court system by determining the Court’s anticipated need for jurors and summoning Lake County residents in sufficient quantities to ensure that jurors are available when needed. The Jury Commission collects lists of qualified prospective jurors, draws panels of jurors for a particular term of court, and rules on citizens’ requests to be disqualified, excused or deferred to an alternate summons date. The Jury Commission is also responsible for providing services and information to jurors who report for jury duty. Once individuals report for jury duty, they are provided with an orientation regarding what to expect during their term of service to the Court. The Jury Commission assists summoned individuals by responding to requests and inquiries prior to, during and after their jury service. The Jury Commission also manages the Jury Assembly Room, which includes a number of amenities designed to make jury service as comfortable and convenient an experience as possible. The goals of the Jury Commission adhere with the quality standards established for the Court as outlined in the 19th Judicial Circuit Strategic Plan (2009):

Jury lists shall be representative of the jurisdiction from which they are drawn. Judges and other court personnel shall be courteous and responsive to the public and

accord respect to all with whom they come into contact. The Court facilities shall be safe, accessible and convenient to use.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Jury service is an integral part of our justice system, emanating from the United States Constitution, which grants every citizen the right to trial by jury. Under the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution, a jury may not be selected in a manner in which there is systematic exclusion of any distinct class of persons in the population, or from lists that fail to reflect a representative cross section of the community, or under any other prejudicial circumstance that denies a defendant a fair trial by an impartial jury. In Lake County, jurors are selected from lists of registered voters and licensed drivers over 18 years of age. These lists are combined into a single database. For each week of jury service, this computerized database randomly selects the names of prospective jurors for the court.

1

Jurors are available to the court every week throughout the year. Illinois guarantees a jury trial for all criminal cases, including ordinance violations. Juveniles are entitled to a jury trial only under the Habitual Juvenile Offender Act. In civil cases, generally only those claimants seeking monetary damages have a constitutional right to a trial by jury, unless otherwise provided for by state statute. The typical term of service for jurors in Lake County is one week, unless a trial to which they are assigned runs longer. If a juror is selected as a Grand Juror, their term if service is one day a week for a four-month period. The Jury Commission maintains close communication with courtroom personnel to determine the daily need for jurors and minimize juror waiting time as much as possible. The majority of jurors will be required to report to the courthouse only one to two days; those selected as a juror for trial will typically report more often.

AVERAGE NUMBER OF JUROR REPORTING DAYS (2003 – 2010)

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Number of Juror Days 12,669 d. 15,748 d. 14,789 d. 15,837 d. 14,354 d. 16,627 d. 16,292 d. 15,208 d.

Number of Jurors Served 7,153 7,456 7,610 7,227 7,547 8,392 8,513 8,668

Average Number of Juror Reporting Days

1.8 days 2.1 days 1.9 days 2.2 days 1.9 days 2.0 days 1.9 days 1.8 days

AVERAGE TRIAL LENGTH (2003 – 2009)

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Civil Trials 2.7 days 2.8 days 2.9 days 3.3 days 2.6 days 2.6 days 3.0 days 2.4 days

Criminal Trials 2.6 days 2.6 days 2.4 days 2.1 days 2.3 days 2.3 days 2.6 days 2.6 days

In order to minimize the number of days jurors are actually required to report to the court complex, the court has instituted a Juror Information System. Under this system, people summoned for jury duty must call the Juror Information Recorded Message Line beginning the Friday before they are scheduled to appear. The 24-hour recorded message will tell jurors if they need to report to the courthouse either Monday or Tuesday morning. During their week of service, jurors must also call the juror information line each day they are not sitting on a trial to receive up-to-date reporting instructions. The information is updated twice daily. Juror information is now being updated on the court’s website1 throughout the week. Once summoned individuals come to the courthouse for jury service, they report to the Jury Assembly Room. Attendance is taken and jurors are provided with a brief orientation session regarding what to expect during their term of service. Jury Commission staff are available to assist jurors and answer any additional questions. Jurors remain in the Assembly Room until they are selected for a trial or released for the day. The Jury Assembly Room is a well-equipped, spacious and clean waiting area located on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse. The jury assembly room provides jurors with a variety of options while they wait to be called to a courtroom. These options include television, reading materials, computers, free internet access, work stations, vending machines, games, and lockers. Beginning in 2007, based in part on responses to the Juror Service Exit Questionnaire (see below), wireless internet service became available to jurors throughout the Jury Assembly Room. The room also serves other functions when not being used for jurors including Illinois Workers’ Compensation cases, in-house training, local and national mock trials and also functions as alternative meeting space.

1 http://www.19thcircuitcourt.state.il.us/services/Pages/current_jurors.aspx

2

To minimize jurors from having to rely solely on their own resources to perform their jury service, jurors are provided with small tokens of the court’s appreciation each day they are required to report for service. Juror expenses are funded by taxpayer dollars and rates for juror reimbursement are determined by the Lake County Board. Jurors currently receive:

Petit Juror Fees: $5.00 per day for days one and two of jury service, $7.50 per day for days 3-5, and $10.00 per day for days 6 and over.

Mileage reimbursement rate of $3.00 - $9.00 per day based on the juror’s zip code. $5.00 on-site lunch credit for each day of service. Free parking.

PETIT JUROR EXPENSES

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Petit Juror Fees $ 80,345.00 $ 87,947.50 $ 80,257.00 $ 89,243.50 $ 78,946.00 $ 93,351.50 $ 91,527.50 $ 82,417.00

Mileage* $ 62,549.30 $ 59,863.50 $ 57,437.50 $ 61,345.00 $ 68,153.00 $ 91,287.00 $ 96,823.00 $ 89,867.00

Lunches $ 31,987.09 $ 44,009.62 $ 42,390.89 $ 42,390.89 $ 44,762.14 $ 54,141.11 $ 50,680.17 $ 46,658.79

Total Expenses $174,881.39 $191,820.62 $180,085.39 $199,219.56 $191.861.14 $238,779.61 $239,030.67 $218,942.79

# Jurors Served 7153 7456 7610 7227 7547 8392 8513 8668

Avg. Cost per Juror $24.49 $25.73 $23.66 $27.57 $25.42 $28.45 $28.09 $25.26 * Mileage Rate Adjustments: 02/03: $2.00 - $6.00; adjusted 02/07: $2.00 - $8.00; adjusted 05/08: $3.00 - $9.00

The Jury Commission’s webpage2 provides information and relevant links regarding the unit’s operations and services. This link also provides information and directions to the courthouse as well as guides and handouts to assist summoned jurors and the general public. The site allows access to reporting instructions for current jurors, answers to questions commonly posed by jurors, and an information brochure for employers.

Juror Appreciation Week is typically held the second week of October. The Lake County Judges annually select this week to recognize and honor past and current prospective jurors who have had to put all personal matters aside and focus on their role as a selected member of a jury charged with deciding a verdict at the close of a trial. Previously, local radio and television stations have had discussions with circuit judges on the merits of and appreciation for serving as a juror in Lake County.

JURY SERVICE EXIT QUESTIONNAIRE: The Jury Commission assesses program performance of its Juror Services function through the use of continuous juror satisfaction surveys. The Jury Service Exit Questionnaire form is distributed to all jurors via mail at the end of their week of service to the court. The forms are sent with their juror fee check. Jurors are provided with a paid self-addressed envelope in order to return the survey. This method of distribution currently yields a 30% - 40% response rate. Beginning in 2011, jurors will have the option of completing the survey anonymously online via a secure access available through the Jury Commission’s webpage. The Jury Service Exit Questionnaire is divided into several main sections: A) Juror Services, B) Jury Assembly Room Personnel, C) Courtroom Staff and Accommodations, and D) Overall Experience. The questionnaire utilizes a 5-point Likert scale (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, and Strongly Agree) in response to all service-related items. The items on the questionnaire are based in part on a previous 19th Judicial Circuit Jury Service Survey (c. 1991-

2 http://www.19thcircuitcourt.state.il.us/services/Pages/jury_home.aspx

3

2006), the National Center for State Courts (NCSC, 2005) Fairness and Access Survey3, and several additional internal service-related items. Distributed throughout the survey are a number of demographic and customer-profile items regarding jurors, which assist Court managers in improving services available to jurors and addressing the training needs of Jury Commission staff. The results of this ongoing survey will demonstrate the impact on users of service-related changes within the Jury Commission and of the court system, in general. Based on the feedback received over the past several years to the Jury Service Exit Questionnaire, a number of services and enhancements have been added to improve jurors’ experience of Jury Duty. These include:

Juror summons-response profile form is now available to be completed online Free wireless internet connection in the Jury Assembly Room Additional electrical outlets installed in the Jury Assembly Room for laptop users Flat panel viewing screens installed in the Jury Assembly Room NOMAD video system deployed in courtrooms to improve the presentation of visual

evidence to jurors Enhanced audio system and American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters available for

hard-of-hearing and deaf jurors. The current version of the Jury Service Exit Questionnaire was implemented in February 2007. An initial performance goal of 80% Agreement (total percent of respondents indicating “Agree” or “Strongly Agree”) was established for each of the service-related items on the survey, which was consistent with the performance goal recommended by the NCSC and other user surveys administered by the 19th Judicial Circuit. Surveys administered during 2007 were closely monitored in order to establish a baseline performance level for each of the items contained in the survey. In most service areas, Juror Services, the Jury Commission, and Courtroom Staff & Accommodations performed substantially better than the established performance goal of 80% Agreement. These items, which demonstrated a strong and sustained level of performance, were re-assessed in terms of their performance goal. On subsequent, assessments the performance goal for these items was re-adjusted to 85% Agreement. Item-level performance goals are reviewed annually and adjusted (upwards only) accordingly. The attached charts demonstrate how this performance goal was adjusted based on item-level performance.

3 Due to the logistical requirements of conducting a Court-wide Fairness and Access Survey, the 19th Judicial Circuit performs a court-wide analysis only every three years, but includes select items from the instrument as part of regular user surveys in order to monitor progress and appropriately address concerns as they arise.

4

JURY SERVICE EXIT QUESTIONNAIRE

5

JURY SERVICE EXIT QUESTIONNAIRE DATA 2007 - 2010

Month of Jury Service 

2010 2009 Yield 

2008 Yield 

2007 Yield Questionnaires 

Sent Questionnaires 

Returned Yield 

January  758  223  29.4%  222 (33.6%)  197 (31.6%)  n/a 

February  679  203  29.9% 228 (31.8%)  177 (28.9%)  189 (33.1%) 

March  718  251  35.0% 273 (36.1%)  239 (36.7%)  173 (35.5%) 

Date Missing – 1 Q    21    30  2  14 

1st Quarter Totals  2155  698  32.4%  753 (35.3%)  615 (32.6%)  376 (35.6%)  

April  580  196  33.8% 149 (23.8%)  239 (33.5%)  519 (70.2%) 

May  814  266  32.7% 229 (34.1%)  187 (28.3%)  310 (45.8%) 

June  927  245  26.4% 250 (28.2%)  284 (30.8%)  231 (35.4%) 

Date Missing – 2 Q    2    12  6  108 

2nd Quarter Totals  2321  709  30.5%  640 (29.3%)  716 (31.2%)  1168 (56.5%)  

July  663  125  18.9%  244 (33.3%)  255 (34.2%)  259 (33.5%) 

August   869  168  19.3%  262 (30.8%)  188 (30.2%)  172 (27.6%) 

September   750  231  30.8%  196 (28.8%)  235 (29.1%)  144 (26.0%) 

Date Missing – 3 Q    14    28  134  57 

3rd Quarter Totals  2282  538  23.6%  730 (32.3%)  812 (37.4%)  632 (32.4%)  

October  700  98  14.0%  196 (28.6%)  229 (31.3%)  230 (31.8%) 

November   794  137  17.3%  206 (26.9%)  198 (32.3%)  151 (29.5%) 

December   416  71  17.1%  102 (20.9%)  206 (29.9%)  173 (31.9%) 

Date Missing – 4 Q    11    26  32  41 

4th Quarter Totals  1910  317  16.6%  530 (27.3%)  665 (32.7%)  595 (33.5%) 

Total   8668  2262  26.1%  2653 (31.2%)  2808 (33.5%)  2771 (40.3%) 

1. My overall experience as a juror this week was good.

6

Jury Service Exit Questionnaire: Quarterly Comparison Statistics (2007 – 2010) 

A. Juror Services:  Key:      Solid red line indicates respective performance goal. 

2. The juror summons was clear and easy to understand. 3. Juror information displayed on the court’s website was useful.

4. Finding the courthouse was easy. 5. Parking in the juror parking facility was convenient.

7

6. My first impression of the facility was positive. 7. I felt safe with the security measures in the courthouse.

8. Once in the courthouse, I easily found my way to the Jury Assembly Room. 9. The court makes reasonable efforts to remove physical and language barriers

to jury service.

8

10. The public areas of the courthouse were clean and well-maintained. 11. I was comfortable with the seating, accommodations, and amenities

available in the Jury Assembly Room.

12. I was pleased with the service I received at the eating facilities in the

courthouse. 13. I was pleased with the quality of the food served at the eating facilities in the

courthouse.

9

B. Jury Assembly Room Personnel:  Key:    Solid red line indicates respective performance goal. 

1. The Jury Assembly Room staff were professional, friendly, and courteous. 2. My initial orientation and check-in were handled promptly and efficiently.

3. Jury Assembly Room staff were available to answer my questions and respond

to my needs.

4. I was treated with courtesy and respect.

10

C. Courtroom Staff and Accommodations: Key:    Solid red line indicates respective performance goal. 

1. The courtroom staff were professional, friendly, and courteous. 2. The courtroom staff were available to answer my questions and take time to

explain things to me.

3. I was treated with courtesy and respect in the courtroom. 4. I was comfortable with the seating available in the courtroom.

11

5. I was comfortable with the seating and amenities in the Jury Deliberation

Room.

6. In general, I could hear the court participants.

D. Overall:

Security:

My overall experience as a juror was better than expected. In general, do you think the courthouse is…

12

D. Demographic Information: 

Have you ever served on jury duty before? How many days did you report to the courthouse?

How many times were you chosen to report to a courtroom for the jury selection

process?

Juror Utilization

13

If chosen for the jury selection process, how many times were you selected and sworn to be a juror?

Did you lose income as a result of jury service?

If you did lose income as a result of jury service, how much did you lose? Cumulative Income Lose Reported

14